Companies should set out a clear plan for how they handle the impact of extreme weather events, according to a HR expert.
The orange and yellow rain warnings in parts of the country today led to the National Emergency Co-ordination Group advising people in affected areas to work from home where possible.
However with remote working not always possible, many employers and employees may have been unsure about their rights and obligations.
According to Damien McCarthy, managing director of HR Buddy, the main consideration for employers is their employees’ health and safety.
“In legislation is the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, and I suppose that’s what employers need to treat as paramount,” he said. “There is a duty of care for employers that involves the travel to and from work as well. So especially during these extreme weather events, that is what is paramount.”
That means forcing an employee to travel during extreme weather events could create a liability for the employer in the event of injury.
At the same time, however, if an employee does not attend work due to the weather, there is no obligation for them to be paid.
Employees realising this after the event could clearly create a flash-point in the workplace.
To avoid that, Mr McCarthy says that all companies should develop a clear Extreme Weather Policy that sets out the best practice for such events.
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He also said it was vital that there was strong communication to ensure everyone knew what their rights and obligations were.
“Having a policy in place and clearly communicating that is kind of the win-win situation where both workplaces and employees can get this right,” he said.
Mr McCarthy cited research by the Unite trade union, which found that 60% of workplaces do not currently have such a policy.
Meanwhile, even where a policy exists, only 16% of employees knew what it entailed.
“If that’s missing inside in your workplace, there is going to be employment relations disputes,” he said. “Retaining talent is very, very important so getting these things wrong in the workplace isn’t advisable.
“Get a policy in place.”
Mr McCarthy recognised that while employers are not obliged to pay non-attending staff, they are regularly the ones expected to cover costs in unforseen events – which adds to the financial burden they are under.
However he also encouraged them to take a long view of any arrangements they may make for staff struggling to get to work in these events.
“These extreme weather events pass very quickly… so I would say to employers, take a long-term view in these kinds of arrangements,” he said. “You don’t want to see workers kind of being impacted from a pay point of view – [it’s about] understanding compassion is needed.”
